2011 Commencement Address

“You, lucky you, are here to fly the aircraft, write the songs, dive the subs, find the cures, run the companies, lead this country, lead this world to a better, more prosperous future for all of life on earth — ourselves, very much included.” Sylvia Earle, the undersea explorer dubbed a “Living Legend” by the Library of Congress, was the speaker at Smith College’s 133rd commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 15, 2011.

2011 Commencement Student Address

“Smith has exposed us to everything it has to offer, and there are no words to express how much Smith has changed our lives. Only by making an impact on the world can we show Smith its impact on us.” Ketura’h Edwards, president of the Class of 2011, delivered the student speech at Smith College’s 133rd commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 15.

2011 Ivy Day Student Speech

“I came to Smith because I saw it as a place where I could reach my fullest potential. However, it has done way more than that. Smith has made me unstoppable!” Jewels Rhode, a member of the Class of 2011, delivered the student speech at Smith Collegeâ€™s Ivy Day celebration on Saturday, May 14.

2011 Ivy Day 25th Reunion Speaker

A Vibrant Partnership

From the beginning, Smith College’s founders envisioned a college integrally linked to the life of its city. Smith is vitally enriched by its partnership with Northampton and is committed to civic collaboration, particularly in support of the city’s — and region’s — public schools.

Ford Hall Provides New Space for Scientific Collaboration and Exploration

"A love affair" is how Ileana Streinu, Charles N. Clark Professor of Computer Science, describes her relationship with Ford Hall. It is not just the state-of-the-art facilities that she loves, says the Romanian-born scholar recognized for her groundbreaking research in computational geometry, it is also the feel and the atmosphere. "There is so much light here," and the way the space is organized is "conducive to communication and collaboration."

Language Lunch Tables

On any given weekday, rookies and native speakers, professors and students alike gather for lunch at tables sponsored by a variety of Smith's foreign language departments and programs. If it's Friday, it's Korean, and visitors and students at all levels of language proficiency are welcome. They tell stories, crack jokes, make weekend plans. The beginners fall back on English words when they are flummoxed. The more proficient Korean speakers talk easily and quickly.

MacLeish Field Station Trail System

Exploring the woods of the 200-acre MacLeish Field Station is becoming a lot easier thanks to new hiking trails designed and built by Smith students. This summer, student volunteers and a team of interns from the Botanic Gardens working with Reid Bertone-Johnson, landscape studies lecturer and field station manager, and Scott Johnson, outdoor adventure coordinator, began constructing nature trails on the property.

At Smith, Art is Everywhere

Two restrooms in the Smith College Museum of Art blur the boundaries between form and function as well as personal and public space. The public restrooms, located on the lower level directly adjacent to the exhibition gallery, are permanent works of art created separately by noted artists Ellen Driscoll and Sandy Skoglund. Driscoll's women's room, titled Catching the Drift, is a serene immersion in an underwater world. Skoglund's men's restroom, Liquid Origins, Fluid Dreams, is a visual blizzard of black and white that Skoglund, a Smith alumna, hopes will intrigue startled visitors into a closer look at the images on each tile.